Source: NCDA&CS, 7/4/17


Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”

July marks a milestone for the NCDA&CS. Until 20 years ago, the department was known simply as the N.C. Department of Agriculture (NCDA for short). But that all changed in July 1997 when then-Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham added “Consumer Services” to the name.

Commissioner Graham did it to let people know that the department wasn’t just an advocate for farmers, but also offered a wide variety of services to help consumers, too. That’s still true today. The department continues to educate people about the fact that our services and programs touch the lives of all residents of the state. For example, the Food Distribution Division delivers USDA commodities for school lunch programs and other feeding programs.

The Standards Division inspects gas pumps, price scanners and commercial scales for accuracy, and tests the quality of motor oil and fuel. The Standards Laboratory even checks the state’s lottery balls to make sure they are uniform in size.

The Food and Drug Protection and Meat and Poultry Inspection divisions help ensure food safety through inspection of products at processing facilities and in grocery stores, farmers markets and other retail settings.

The Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division checks termite and other pest treatments to prevent deception, fraud and unfair trade practices, and to assure high-quality workmanship. The division also works to ensure compliance with pesticide laws.

These are just a few of the consumer-focused services the department offers.